10 Easter Dining Options at Metro Phoenix Restaurants

Whether or not you celebrate Easter, with the holiday falling early this year (Sunday, March 31), a seasonal brunch or dinner is the perfect way to kick off spring. The following 10 restaurants are our top picks for Easter dining, thanks to menus that highlight local greens, succulent lamb, and fresh takes on breakfast and lunch classics.

This Four-Diamond restaurant will be serving a three-course prix fixe brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For a taste of the season, select spring pea soup with Dungeness crab followed by slow-roasted lamb leg with ricotta gnocchi, artichokes, and fava beans. Other starters that will set the tone for an incredible meal include mini cornmeal waffles with berry compote and Meyer lemon whipped cream as well as roasted local beets with truffle-goat ricotta and honey vinaigrette. Finish with a farmers market dessert: marinated fresh fruit of the day, lemon poppyseed cake, and sorbet. Brunch is $75 per person plus tax and gratuity.

A Southwestern-infused gourmet buffet including caviar, cracked snow crab legs, roasted leg of lamb with mint demi-glace, and mole-dusted chicken breast will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Brunch also includes a build-your-own waffle bar with mesquite syrup and poached fruit, omelet frittata station with smoked salmon and local goat cheese, spring baby vegetables with black garlic sauté, and desserts like chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks. The buffet is $70 for adults, $63 for seniors, and $35 for children 12 and under. Reservations required.

Available Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., Taggia will have a three-course Easter menu featuring choices like an asparagus and artichoke torta with truffle essence and goat cheese, spring pea risotto with pecorino and mint, braised lamb shank served with spring legumes and red wine demi-glace, and Italian dove Easter cake with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce. The prix fixe menu is $35 per person, and all holiday dishes are also available a la carte.

This Saturday celebration will be a ton of fun for the whole family. The all-you-can-eat brunch with one glass of champagne will be $38 for adults, $20 for children, and will include admission to the track. There also will be an Easter Bunny Fun Park with an egg hunt, bouncy inflatables, face painting, a petting zoo, and photo-op with E.B. himself. The brunch buffet includes carved roast beef, baked salmon, smoked bacon, ham and cheese omelets, biscuits and sausage gravy, salads, pastas, and assorted pastries and desserts. It will be available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The restaurant in the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel will offer Easter brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $32 for adults, $16 for children. And as usual, the menu is studded with out-of-the-box flavor combinations. Start with Greek yogurt shots paired with fresh fruit scented with wild spearmint, or keep it simple with Schreiner's sausages and toast slathered with local date jam. As an entrée, select hand-carved crusted turkey breast with chipotle orange marmalade and buttermilk horseradish cream, or a classic chicken breast marinated with herbs from the restaurant's rooftop garden. There also will be top-notch seafood, an omelet station featuring ingredients like foraged mushrooms and local bacon, and a mac and cheese station. Endless champagne will be flowing, and if bubbly's not your thing, hit up the Bloody Mary Bar for an additional $5.

A three-course brunch will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $38. Fresh fruit is highlighted in the first-course options of a low-fat parfait, gazpacho with crème fraiche, or French crepe. The menu also includes brioche French toast, eggs Benedict with prosciutto or cured salmon, a traditional breakfast plate with filet mignon, and a three-egg scrambled stuffed with lump crab meat. All meals include warm blueberry muffins and a glass of Argentinian Pascual Toso sparkling wine.

For an Eastern take on an Easter dinner menu, book a table at this Scottsdale restaurant. Five courses, including bison short rib with braised daikon and Japanese mustard and Robata rabbit loin with aka miso and baby gold beets, will be $55 per person. The evening is capped off with flourless chocolate cake with raspberry cashew ice cream. This dinner will be served on Easter Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m.

Known for its giant sticky buns and live jazz music, St. Francis is a prime brunch destination any Sunday. For Easter, the lazy afternoon meal will be even more memorable with special holiday dishes such as an asparagus salad with purple potatoes, poached eggs, and hollandaise ($11) and wood-roasted leg of spring lamb with local farm vegetables and natural jus ($25). And remember those insanely good baked goods? There will be special offerings for the occasion like bacon date scones. Plus, kids eat free.

The restaurants at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs don't hold back when it comes to quality and creativity, and Easter brunch is a prime example. For $59.95 for adults and $29.95 for children, enjoy meats like lemon poached shrimp, snow crab claws, little neck clams, slow-roasted aged prime rib, achiote grilled pork loin, grilled lamb chops, wild boar sausage, and house-smoked wild salmon from Different Pointe of View's dining room with stunning views of the Valley. The brunch selection also includes a bisque station with lobster and strawberry champagne varieties, a waffle station, and a spread of delectable desserts. Reservations are recommended.